Role-Playing and Information Design

World of Warcraft, Half-Life, and Grand Theft Auto may all be able to trace their roots back to 1972 and Atari's Pong, but video games wouldn't be what they are today if Dungeons and Dragons, the first RPG (role-playing game) hadn't also come along two years later. From there, the stories meet and mingle, and even the best Dungeon Masters would have a hard time traversing their complicated histories.

Graphic artist and web designer Trish Ladd has done exactly that using the principles of information design. Information Design is the practice of gathering, filtering, and presenting information in accordance with effective design principles in order to understand and communicate the essence or the meaning of that information. It's a field that mixes artistic talent with mathematics and scholarly research, the results of which can be quite impressive.

Ladd's interest is in web and interactive media storytelling, and she's taken information design to task by charting the thirty-five year history of role-playing games (above). It looks like a map, and in a way, it is. But its also an intricate web of relationships and of the evolution of a very different kind of technology.

We admit that it's difficult to see the details of Ladd's The History of Role-Playing Games from the image we've got to offer. She does provide anyone who's interested in a better look at her 'map' to actually download the file, which measures 3000 x 2000 px. It's definitely worth closer inspection, and even if the intricacies of her work aren't your cup of tea, we think Ladd's History would make a great wall-hanging for your next Magic The Gathering get-together.

Ladd provides a brief explanation and a download of her informational design at the [Link].

CHUCK Is Back...Will Brandon Measure Up?

'Morning, dabblers! Before we get into all the awesomeness coming your way on the comicsblog today, I've some sad news to share.

My television, RC, passed away over the weekend. The death of an electronic family member is always unexpected, and never easy. It's been tough, let me tell you. And as many of you have probably been there yourselves, all I ask is that you hang with me in spirit.

Things could be worse. I've only known RC (her full name was RCA ColorTrak ) for a little over seven months, but she was a lively one. An old girl to be sure, but I never thought she'd go off the air.

Or that the hunk of junk decided to call it quits about two hours before Friday's Smallville episode. Why couldn't she have held on just one more friggin' night? It's almost like she begrudged me my Oliver Queen fix. And I don't even want to think about tonight's Heroes, that poor show. We all know they can't afford even one less viewer not tuning in, but I may not have a choice. If Milo Ventimiglia gets a pink slip in May, it'll be on me. Never mind that my set, set me up. Milo won't give a rat's ass and he'll shun me for life.

If small monkeys really do live inside machines, I've got a hunch they were born with really crappy attitudes.

* * * * * * * *

ABC's Lost received all the attention (including our's) last week, and a lot of folks missed NBC's (relatively) big news. The network announced Thursday that Warner Bros' action-comedy-geekfest Chuck is officially returning at mid-season, with a scheduled two-hour premiere on Sunday, January 10th, 2010. The show, starring Zachary Levi as the titular character, will then move into its regular 8pm night time-slot on Monday the 11th, bumping Heroes into the 9pm position. (Heroes begins the New Year with a two-hour special on Monday, January 4th.)

Chuck's story is an interesting one. NBC's ordered nineteen new episodes of Chuck, just under a full season's slate of 22 (the show will be preempted during the network's Winter Olympics coverage). This is a big change from just over a year ago, when despite a strong grassroots campaign to keep the series alive, budget constraints almost kept the show from seeing Season Three. But thanks to an 11th hour promotional deal between NBC and the fast-food chain Subway, Chuck was given a second chance and a new line of credit. But as a result, says the Chicago Tribune, viewers should expect to see subtle yet direct product placement of Subway sandwiches in most Chuck episodes next year.

I can't really find fault with that, can you? I eat my fair share of Subway, and damn it, I know I'm not the only one. Plus, considering that several ex-superheroes have been cast to guest star in Chuck's fourth season --foremost among them the just-turned 3o years old Brandon Routh -- any objections I might've had would be moot.

Routh's own website yields the only clue anywhere on the 'Net as to his upcoming Chuck character: he'll be playing a rival spy, Chuck's nemesis. And according to some late-breaking news just this morning, he'll also be vying for the affections of Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski), Chuck's blonde-bombshell love interest. All the intrigue's got Routh attached to the show for several episodes, and Smallville's Lana Lang - actress Kristen Kreuk -- will be making her Chuck debut right along with him. Kreuk has yet to convince me she can act, and while her website appears to have some tantalizing Chuck news of its own, it's 'members only.' Frankly, I'd rather join a leper colony.

But I digress -- I do like Routh, and previous comments aside, it'll be mildly cute to see both Superman alumni yucking it up on screen together. It's been too long since I've seen Routh in anything other than Telemundo re-runs of the Bryan Singer movie, and I'm glad he'll be sticking around Chuck for a while. I just wonder if the Subway people will be as pleased. Tights or no tights, with Routh on camera, 'five dollar foot-long' takes on a whole new meaning.

Enough said! If you'd like to see what's up with Chuck this January, check out the fourth season trailer. [Link] UPDATE: Chuck's latest promo spot with Routh and Kreuk just hit the Tube -- and we've got the [Link].

Not to be undone, Fox announced that 24 will return for its next season with a four-hour, two-night opener beginning January 17th, 2010. The network has made no mention if 24 will be endorsing any foodstuffs of dubious nutritional value.

* * * * * * *

Coming Up on the Comicsblog: Smallville becomes the kind of comic book television God intended. 'Absolute Justice' and more -- this week on abbracadabbling.

New Moon On Monday

It. Is. Still. On.

New Moon on Monday.

Watch for It.

Sketch Pad: Another Round of Manapul Magic

When dabblers demand, their favorite comicsblog listens! DC Comics' artist Francis Manapul's idyllic Smallville piece from his work on Adventure Comics #1 turned out to be the best of our Saturday Picks, judging by the in box. That told us we'd better head back to the Sketch Pad and return with even more 'Manapul Magic'.

Watching an artist bring their creation to life isn't something most of us see every day. Even seeing anything other than the finished product is pretty rare. But Francis Manapul is the kind of artist who provides fans with insight into his creative process, and we've got a little of that to share with you on the blog.

Manapul, a Filipino-Canadian, made a name for himself in comic books with his four-year run on Top Cow's Witchblade. In 2007, Manapul signed exclusively with DC Comics, and recently relaunched DC's long-running Adventure Comics with writer Geoff Johns. Both Johns and Manapul will be saying good-bye to Adventure following January's Issue #6 in order to bring their same magic to another DC Comics' re-launch, 2010's much-anticipated The Flash. 

As he does with his current work on Adventure, Manapul will be doing his own inks and watercolors for The Flash. And it's his use of watercolor that truly separates him from most of his contemporaries. More than that, his brushes over lines and inks convey an entirely different reader experience. Surreal, tranquil, timeless are just a few of the words that come to our mind, and they keep us coming back to Manapul's projects every time.

'Manapul Magic' (below) begins with three stages of his work depicting Krypto the Superdog for last August's Superman Secret Files. Krypto co-stars in Adventure Comics with Conner Kent (Superboy), who we get to see beside Krypto in Secret Files as well as running from a terrible Tyrannosaurus in Manapul's pencils for the cover of Adventure Comics #6. The full solicitation for Manapul's 30-page final issue of Adventure can be found at the [Link].

Our set finishes off with two of Manapul's early renderings of The Flash -- although we're not sure if it's Wally West, Barry Allen, or both! Our guess is Manapul's Flash brings in a bit of both DCU speedsters. Of course, Wally and Barry will both be seen - separately - in the new Flash title, with Wally donning a new costume for his back-up feature in that series. "The Dastardly Death of the Rogues" begins The Flash's first story arc by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. 

If you really dig what we've got for you below, you can keep apace of Manapul anytime by visiting his website [Link] as well as his blogspot Art Journal 2.0 [Link], and always on DC Comics homepage here.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends @ Toys R Us

The Holiday season is a well-beloved time of year for action figure collectors and we've heard it's rather popular with kids, too. It looks like the folks at Toys R Us.com have figured this out as well, and their online store is carrying some pretty sweet deals that should please both camps.

Toys R Us' Exclusive Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends 3-Pack brings our favorite Marvel / NBC Saturday morning old-skool cartoon from 1981 back to reality. The 3-Pack is part of Hasbro's Marvel Universe line and includes Spider-Man (who also happens to be the star of this week's Macy's Parade) and his two amazing friends Firestar and Iceman. Each figure stands 3.75" tall and comes with their own display base.

Toys R Us is also offering Free Shipping for online purchases of $50 or more. And since they've got all their Marvel Legends 2-Packs back in stock, as well as a variety of Mattel's DC Universe Classics, we're pretty confident that most dabblers can take advantage of the offer. The Exclusive Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends 3-Pack is available for $24.99, and can be found at the link. [Link].

FutureView: Grant Morrison's JOE The BARBARIAN #2

We've been keeping our eyes peeled for Joe The Barbarian since we first brought it to your attention last month, and this morning, diligence paid off. Our friend at Vertigo sent us this peak at Sean Gordon Murphy's cover art for Joe #2. We thought you'd like to check it out, too.

Joe The Barbarian is the newest brainchild of our favorite scribe Grant Morrison with art by the aforementioned Mr. Murphy. Issue #2 of the eight-issue limited Vertigo Comics series arrives at your LCS on February 17th, 2010.

Saturday Picks: Enjoying The Silence (5/5)

Conner, Ma Kent, and Krypto at home

By Francis Manapul

New Moon and Old Nausea

This makes me (mostly) none too happy.

I'm going to be eating my own words here, dabblers. It won't be the last time you'll watch me do so before the weekend's over, either. Even thinking about Twilight: New Moon turns my stomach worse than the curdled banana milk shake I chugged last summer. But that was a complete accident. Tonight, I know all too well that I blog New Moon by intention. Not too long ago, I felt quite confident that my first Twilight: New Moon blogs would also be my last. Hard to believe I was ever such a naive kid.

(Of course, some of the creeping nausea overtaking me this very instant is probably because I also blogged Taylor Lautner's appearance on The Jay Leno Show last week. I was conscious then, too, but "The Good of the Many..." and all that, you know. I'm a sucker for Spock-isms.)

But a call to arms has been issued, and I'm duty bound to answer. Who am I kidding -- this is a moral imperative in my book. Blogging's a lot like marriage, really. Some vows are made to be broken, especially when they prove to be idiotic. Long story short: New Moon's opening weekend box office was through the roof. But the media's coverage (or at least all those drippy vapid New Moon fan sites that are posing as legitimate news sources) of it is so off the hook and frakked up that it demands I dirty my hands once again.

No, no external links for any of that tonight. You'll have to come back tomorrow, because dabblers, it's on. It. Is. On. And with good reason. The words are gonna fly, and they'll be worth your return trip on Sunday.

Plus, if everything comes together, I might even draw a parallel or two between New Moon and Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin. We'll see. Tonight's chart courtesy of the [Link].

Saturday Picks: Future Super Hero (4/5)

Some Days I Feel Like I Don't Belong Here

via [Last Astronaut]

Saturday Picks: Robin, The Boy Wonder (3/5)

via Google

Get LOST! ABC Announces Final Season Begins February 2010

It's a forgone conclusion that a number of the comicsblog's dabblers are die hard Lost fans. So Dabbler's here to tell anyone who hasn't heard the news (granted, it's less than a day old) that ABC officially announced that the final season of Lost will begin February 2nd, 2010.

The network hasn't confirmed if their premiere series will take a rumored hiatus for the duration of this winter's Olympics, but they have verified that Lost's final season will consist of 18 episodes. Four of those episodes will belong to the show's season premiere and series finale, each of which is a two-hour event. The network may even add a third hour to the February 2nd schedule by including a Lost recap hour as a crash-course in last season's events.

Which, if you haven't gotten 'lost' in the Fall shuffle, you'll recall include the sightings of previously dead characters on the island. Even our best guess as to what's going on is likely way off target, but we do know that resurrection via cameos galore is a staple ratings trick. Of course, this isn't the final season of ER (yaaawn) that we're talking about -- it's Lost. Unless they're getting greedy or have something to worry about, ratings tricks aren't needed. Especially when the show's fabric is practically woven with them.

If storylines were tunics, then Lost's would certainly be a full metal jacket. The cumulative TV Geek has gotten off on the mysteries wrapped in enigmas that drive every hour and have earned the show its title for five years running, and expectations will be higher than Anne Heche on a California highway come February's opener. Lost is well aware its viewers are no fools, and they know the package they unwrap this spring needs to be the mother of all pay-offs.

So the biggest Lost question in our mind is whether or not they'll deliver the money shot when the series wraps in May, or if Lost has gotten lost. Clearly the show's been at the top of the TV game for a long, long time -- and its been just as clearly misleading. With but 18 episodes left, Damon Lindelof and JJ Abrams have a multitude of complexities to both explain and resolve. Those are easy; the tough part is to do so in a manner consistent with Lost's internal logic and narrative precedent.

Because that's just good story-telling, something which JJ Abrams obviously believes in and executes quite well. The build-up to Lost's crisis point has been calculated and intense, and now the fun really begins. As the show's reputation rides with every sixth season episode, the promise of good television awaits all.

That's not to say that I don't harbor mischievous desires for Lost to take an easy out. Many good stories eventually find themselves way up a tree they can't climb down from, and Lost is several rungs above even the worst of those offenders. Maybe they'll climax and climb down with grace and skill, or maybe the Island'll just be another Bobby Ewing bad dream.

Seriously, if somebody dug up an old IBM, pulled it apart, and discovered God living in its CPU, who wouldn't be in Heaven? Lost's whole setting is like some tropical Purgatory, anyway. It would fit, and what's crazy is that for Lost, even an ultimate sell-out ending like that makes some kind of sense.

One way or another, in seven months time, somebody's going to get voted off that island. And then things will start getting ugly.

Saturday Picks: Pokemon, The Maxi-Pad (2/5)

Ladies, here's something that'll really get the guys to 'Pikachu'. I found this genuine article over on Etsy. I doubt it's an officially licensed product, but it is a real 'absorbency pad.'

Measuring 10.5"x3.0", this flannel all-in-one with wings and a waterproof barrier is navy blue with two snaps and one bright yellow freaky monster in the middle. Looks like the perfect stocking stuffer, but I'm sure it'd be a great present at other times of the month as well.

We're bad, aren't we? The Pokemon Maxi is custom made by Naturally Hip and available at the [Link].

...Sometimes I regret being an early Christmas shopper.

His Story: Batman No.1 (National Comics House Ad, 1940)

We had to dig through ten long boxes of old DC Comics to find one advertising the May 1940 issue of Batman #1. Kidding! (We can dream, can't we?) The ad's legit, though. DC -- which at the time wasn't yet known as DC, but as National Comics -- began running their in-house advertisement for the Caped Crusader's solo series in April, just a month before the ten-cent Batman hit newsstands across the nation in a country not yet on the verge of a Great War.

Chances are Bill Finger and Bob Kane's Batman wouldn't have received his own book if not for the overwhelming popularity of his teen-aged sidekick, Robin, The Boy Wonder. Robin was first introduced in Detective Comics #38 , which had only been published one month prior to the ad's circulation. That's not to say Batman, the second superhero, wasn't popular. On the contrary, Bruce Wayne's alter ego has been big business since Day One; indeed, Batman himself had appeared in just thirteen issues of Detective Comics before Batman's debut.

Both Batman and Detective Comics have consistently been published by DC Comics since their very first issues. Today, Batman #1's estimated value stands at over $100,000; Batman #693, the November 2009 issue, carries a price tag $2.99, and can be found at the local comics retailer nearest you.

Oh, No She Didn't...!

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

via Last Kiss [Link]